What’s Broken in the Ski Industry. And How We’d Build a Resort Differently
By Daniel Kaufman The ski industry is facing a strange contradiction. Demand for skiing is as strong as it’s ever been. Mountain towns are booming. Real estate near ski resorts has exploded in value. Lift ticket prices have climbed to levels that would have seemed absurd twenty years ago. And yet, the actual experience of skiing often feels worse. Crowds are worse. Infrastructure is strained. Housing for workers is broken. And the economics of many ski towns are becoming increasingly fragile. The truth is that most ski resorts in North America weren’t designed for the world we live in today. They were built decades ago, when skier visits were lower, travel patterns were different, and the real estate component of resorts was secondary. Today, real estate drives the economics of ski resorts. But paradoxically, many resorts are still operating with infrastructure and planning models that belong to another era. If we had the opportunity to develop a ski resort from scrat...